foreplay
Before the main
Foreplay is sexual activity that precedes intercourse—kissing, touching, oral stimulation.
The term implies these acts are preliminary rather than the main event, though what counts as "real sex" varies by perspective.
Figuratively, foreplay describes any buildup to a main activity: The opening remarks were foreplay for the keynote speech.
Evoking a response
- erogenousSexually sensitive to touch
- titillationPleasurable, teasing excitement
- arousingEvoking strong feeling
- arousedAwakened or excited
sensual · eroticism · lustful · excitement · throbbing · tantalizing · desire · passion
Touching with affection
- kissingLip-to-lip contact
- fondlingAffectionate tactile contact
- strokingRubbing softly, repeatedly
- massageSoft tissue manipulation
nibbling · embracing · cuddling · petting · nuzzling · licking · touching · rubbing
Gradual accumulation over time
- teasingPlayful, mild ridicule
- tensionStretched or strained state
- desireIntense wanting
- longingIntense, persistent desire
yearning · expectation · excitement · craving · flirtation · seduction · fantasy · imagination
State of proximity
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
- connectionA joining or relation
- affectionWarm emotional attachment
- bondingForming close connections
trust · warmth · gentleness · romance · vulnerability · communication · attentiveness · eye contact
stimulation
Evoking a response
- erogenousSexually sensitive to touch
- titillationPleasurable, teasing excitement
- arousingEvoking strong feeling
aroused · sensual · eroticism · lustful · excitement · throbbing · tantalizing · desire · passion · heat
caressing
Touching with affection
massage · nibbling · embracing · cuddling · petting · nuzzling · licking · touching · rubbing · tickling
buildup
Gradual accumulation over time
longing · yearning · expectation · excitement · craving · flirtation · seduction · fantasy · imagination · curiosity
closeness
State of proximity
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
- connectionA joining or relation
- affectionWarm emotional attachment
bonding · trust · warmth · gentleness · romance · vulnerability · communication · attentiveness · eye contact · whispers
- sexualitysexual orientation, sexual behavior, erotica, sexual identity, bisexual
- intimacykiss, hug, embrace, closeness, snuggling
- sexual wellnesslibido, intimacy, arousal, pleasure, orgasm
- eroticaerotic, erotic literature, eroticism, erotica, sensuality
- screen intimacynude scene, sex scene, love scene, nudity, bedroom scene
- male sexualitypenis, erection, testicles, libido, ejaculation
foreplayafterplay
Intimacy after sex
intercourse · penetration · coitus · consummation · copulation
foreplayclimax
Point of greatest intensity
orgasm · release · culmination · finish · resolution